crystal senang gambar dan prakarya tangan

2 bulan mendatang Crystal bakal naik TK besar.

hobi utamanya adalah menggambar dan membuat prakarya tangan.

crystal sebenarnya rada mirip mama kala kecil.

punya motorik tangan yang mayan bagus.

namun crystal gambarnya lebih hebat daripada mama kala kecil.

pilihan warna2nya berani dan kreatif.

crystal banyak diajar dan disupport oleh bu guru tk yang hebat2.

dan tentunya mama juga ikut mensupport dong,

dengan selalu nyediain spidol gambar, spidol warna, crayon,

kertas bekas print-out satu sisi, kertas berwarna, lem, gunting, solotape, dll.

tiap 2 minggu, kudu beli spidol menggambar yang baru.

pernah sekali, mama belanja online, langsung beli 20 buah spidol.

mama kadang nemani menggambar bila diperlukan.

tapi jarang , biasanya dia menggambar sendiri.

paling kalo ada yg dia belum pernah dan belum bisa, baru ditemeni.

paling banyak ditemeni kalo bikin prakarya tangan.

dan mama paling demen nemeni bikin prakarya dengan

memanfaatkan segala barang bekas,

khususnya dari koran/majalah bekas atau

bekas packaging makanan/minuman/obat.

oma sering ngomel karena kertas2 gambar beserakan di mana2.

mama yang tiap malam memungut, merapikan dan menyimpan

semua gambar hasil karya crystal.

difoto dan diarsipkan di blog, juga dijilid jadi buku.

untuk kenangan kala crystal besar.

mama sekecil crystal, belum bisa main catur.

dulu waktu belum masuk TK, mama jagoannya main kartu remi, black jack, cangkulan, dll.

kertas bungkus permen dijadikan uang 25, 50, 100, 500. hehehe.. judi-judian.

mama waktu kecil juga jagoan origami (didikan oma jambi).

mama baru mulai kenal catur waktu SMP kalo gak salah.

tapi gak jago. asal bisa menjalankan pion-pion aja.

mama juga sudah mengenalkan beberapa jenis permainan kartu ke crystal.

misalnya cangkulan, besar makan kecil, 'udang merah'*)

juga udah mengenalkan permainan ular tangga.

ntar rencananya mau ngenalin permainan ludo.

setelah crystal agak gedean dikit, mau dikenalin dg permainan monopoli.

*) permainan kartu ini kayaknya cuman kalangan keluarga dan tetangga masa kecil di jambi yg ngerti. gak tau deh, apa ada yang tau ...

foto2 waktu di hainan (1)

patung kuan-yin nan-shan (gunung selatan)

makan jagung rebus .. habis itu minta pup ...

kapalnya angkatan laut

di markas tentara kelautan

di restoran seafood, ruang vip. kata crystal, "mama, aku mau makan lagi yang di ruang V2"

gayanya bawa-bawa ban ... begitu nyampai di pantai, gak mau menyentuh air laut (*takut*).

pantai 'da dong hai' ... laut timur besar. dari apartemen kami tempat kami nginap tinggal nyeberang jalan dan jalan kaki 5 menit. 'payung'nya dipungut bayaran 150yuan sekali pakai. ogah deh .. hehehehe...

di pantai ya-long-wan. 'payung'-nya gratis.

di depan sebuah restoran seafood

bunga kamboja

chicken costume

crystal was born in the year of golden rooster (2005).

i plan to make her a chicken costume, just for fun.

i think i will make 2 sets.. the other set with piggy style (if possible), for Angie.

got some idea from the internet, click the pictures for the original websites.

this is my most favorite one. head part and feet are made off gloves.

if couldnt find feather boas, i plan to substitute with golden boas, those used for decorating christmas tree.

this one is also cute

or this one ..

some references for fun or bizzare costumes :

http://www.halloween.it/kids/kids-animals.htm

https://www.thelaughingstock.co.uk/acatalog/Bizarre_Costumes.html

http://www.squidoo.com/Babys-First-Halloween

1-June Children's Day

Crystal has recovered! yeeeeiiiihh!!!! 

in China, today is children's day.

bought some cake for Crystal and Angie, also bought 2 books for Crystal (addition and handy-works books). a day before, crystal asked me, "mama, for children's day, please buy me a book of handy-works and a book for studying, and buy a gun-toy for Smarty." 

wikipedia: children's day around the world 

when's the children day in the country you live in? 

2.5 yrs old toddler got severe injured by chopstick

according to his father, they train the 2.5 years old boy to use chopstik to eat since he would go to kindergarten soon. while his parents were still having dinner, he was playing around with the chopstick, and fell from toddler-bike. 12 cm of the chopstick thrusted from his left nostril into his brain.  

the kid was rushed into Anhui provincial hospital, then transfered to Shanghai Xinhua Hospital for emergency treatment. the chopstick had injured little part of his brain, fortunately, it didn't break the vein. after 90 minutes emergency treatment, the boy was in stable condition. 

mostly in kindergarten, the kids eat using spoon.

it's not necessary at all to train a kid to use chopstick so early. 

to all parents, 

be careful,  not to let your toddlers playing around with chopstick, pen, pencil, or any similar things. 

safety first, please! 

this case makes me learn and try as much to be more alert when Angie is playing around the house. 

video

pictures 

when we're old

Crystal was playing with Smarty on our bed.

Crystal : when we are old, i become old lady, and you become grandpa.
Smarty: grandma .. grandma .. !
Crystal : grandpa .. grandpa .. !
Smarty: grandma.. grandma .. !
Crystal : grandpa.. grandpa .. !
(*they were calling each other with loud voice*)
Grandpa: (*coming from the kitchen*) yes.. why calling me?
Crystal's daddy: they are not calling you. they are playing 'when they are old'.
G'pa & G'ma: *laugh amusedly*

another time, Smarty put on my husband work's id.
Smarty : i'm uncle, i'm 2nd uncle...
Crystal : 2nd uncle .. 2nd uncle (*calling Smarty*)

last nite, Crystal wore my watch and said, "i'm 2nd auntie... i am 2nd auntie."

here was small conversation with Crystal before bed time:
Crystal: i've brushed my teeth. owl won't peck my teeth. Owl is afraid of toothpaste smell.
Mom : yes, it's afraid of it.
Crystal: why is owl afraid of toothpaste smell?
Mom : because when it smells it, it will faint.
Crystal: (*giggle*)

Toy and Box

While a student, i liked to use other used-things to make birthday cards, wrap a present, or made some small decoration for my room.
As a mom, now I like to use bottles, medicine boxes, cake boxes, etc. for playing and having fun with my daughters.




Below are short and (I think) useful reading, from the book "Brain Child: how smart parents make a smart kids" written by Tony Buzan (author of "mind maps for kids") .
Expensive Toy and Cardboard Box
Another manifestation of child's limitless creative abilities, and of our adult trained-away-from-the-child-thinking occurs regularly at present-giving times.

Parents / relatives often go to extreme trouble (not to mention expense) to find latest new toy that has bright colors and a number of working parts. What causes adult confusion is the fact that the child will, with all his senses, devour the toy in a few minutes, and then discard it. For the next hour, day and often week, the child will then play with the box.

The beautifully colored toy often has a rigid structure, only a few working parts, and often only one or two functions or uses. It may be battery-operated and just be for looking at.

What about the box?
For a child's creative imagination: it could be a boat, a car, a spaceship, the entrance to a giant cave, a sled, a hideaway, a house, and so on ..
Each one of possibilities opening up the possibilities for infinite adventures of the imagination.

Provide your child with toys that stimulate, expand and encourage the development of his imagination, rather than toys that bore or restrict. Look around your home for playthings – there's no need to spend a lot of money on toys. Used yoghurt pots, egg cartons, washing-up bottles, measuring jugs, and a plethora of other kitchen items can be used in the child imaginative play.

There is no need to provide suggestions, just provide the raw materials and let the child use his imagination. ***


Crystal and Smarty use our television box as their house, they put stools and sit in it. another time, they use the box as their train and go to Beijing, Nanjing, everywhere else. last year, Crystal and Smarty played with birthday cake cardboard. they sat inside the boxes and said they were taking bath in a washing basin. another time, Crystal put the cake box on her shoulder and walked around the house saying that she was delivering goods.

below was a bus i made for Crystal from cough medicine box, which she liked it very much. i made this because she was fighting with Smarty over a bus toy.

i pretty much agree that we dont have to always spend money buying toys. our kids could also be very happy to play with things inside the house, by their imagination, those things become other things.

a door grip becomes water dispenser; a bicycle basket becomes a microwave; a sand digger becomes a giant-spoon for eating; etc.

25 Piece Mickey Mouse Puzzle, Oma Buyut dan Gadis Kecil

main puzzle

seminggu menjelang ultah keduanya, Crystal dapat puzzle baru dari mak.
Gambarnya Mickey dan Minnie mouse lagi main ayunan, ada Goofy, trio kwek-kwek, Midas si serigala jahat, Donald dan 2 tupai kecil.

dia senang sekali, tiap hari dimaini, gak bosen-bosen. terus kalo lagi masang, sambil ngomong sendiri, "kancingnya Mickey mana... aku ketemu kakinya bebek kecil. ini serigala jahat. ini kupingnya Goofy. topinya Donald Duck di sebelah sini. ini di sini kan? in bukan di sini kan?" dstnya.

terus kalo misal posisinya kurang pas, dia suka pasangi sekuat tenaga sambil gregetan, kadang sambil teriak, "gak bisa pasang! gak bisa pasang!"
kalo udah gitu mesti diingatin, "pelan-pelan pasangnya, pasti bisa. jangan gregetan gitu dong, sabaran dikit."

di bawah puzzle, ada original picture-nya buat guidance.
setelah Crystal lancar dg puzzle ini. mak suka ngajakin dia pasang dengan arah terbalik dari guidancenya. awal-awal dia agak kebingungan juga, kadang ngikutin potongan puzzle, kadang ngikutin gambar di bawahnya. tapi lama-lama bisa juga. dan mulai suka ngebalikin sendiri board-nya kala main. atau kadang suka gua ajakin main tanpa menggunakan guidance-boardnya. jadi langsung dipasang di atas meja, sofa atau tikar alas tidur.

Oma-buyut dan oma kadang juga jadi suka ikutan mainin puzzle mickey mouse ini. katanya latihan otak buat oma-buyut biar tetap fresh dan gak gampang pilun.
kadang kita suka bilang, "Jing-jing, ajarin oma-buyut. oma buyut kurang bisa main puzzle."
nah, gayanya kalo lagi ajarin oma buyut gini nih...

dia gak ikutan masang. tapi dia ngambil sepotong demi sepotong puzzle, dikasih ke oma-buyut, sambil nunjukin posisi potongan puzzle mesti ditaroh di mana; bikin kita ketawa, habis dianya serius banget.
kadang kalo oma buyut masangnya terbalik, dia akan bilang ke oma buyut, "balikin...balikin." (sambil praktek dengan gerakan tangan).

kalo udah kelar, dia akan mengangkat kedua tangannya, sambil lunjak2 dan bilang, "aku sudah berhasil. yeeee...!" terus kadang disambung, "masih mau main lagi!" atau "gak mau main lagi. aku sudah capek."

Smarty juga punya puzzle "Hare and Tortoise Race". ada 9 set puzzle. tiap puzzle ada 11 piece. isinya rangkaian cerita gitu. Crystal juga senang banget main puzzle ini. salah satu set-nya pernah dibawa pas kita pulang indo. buat mainannya dia di pesawat dan di kereta, betah lho.. dan gak rewel selama perjalanan.

nak, kalo kamu memang senang banget main puzzle, ntar mak beliin 1000 piece puzzle buat kamu yah, biar mak juga ikutan main .... huahahahaaha.... !

foto bareng Mao-Mao

Crystal punya babi ijo yang dibeliin papanya dari Shenzhen. babi ijo ini ama dia dinamain Mao-Mao.

lagi asyik main puzzle, begitu ditanya mau gak foto bareng Mao-Mao, langsung manjat ke sofa dan pasang aksi.

aku gandengan tangan dengan Mao-Mao

pas disuruh pasang senyum, hasilnya kayak gini ...mirip gak ama Mao-Mao

akrab deh ...

aku mau cium Mao-Mao

Where is it? It is here!

Crystal is 1 year 6 months 3 days old today.

i often read books for Cyrstal before bed time. or sometimes she looks at the pictures by herself and i ask her questions.

there is one content like this:
eye-eye-eye.. where is it?
eye-eye-eye.. it is here.
nose-nose-nose.. where is it?
nose-nose-nose.. it is here.
mouth-mouth-mouth.. where is it?
mouth-mouth-mouth.. it is here.
(i usually improve with other parts of body that she knows, such as neck, fingers, thumb, hair, etc.)

this afternoon i fed her a 'lu-gan' orange (jeruk lokam) in our bedroom. i asked her to put the orange peel into the trash bin. she went out to the living room and said by herself :
trash bin, trash bin..where is it? it is here.

few days ago, i asked my mother-in-law where Crystal's moisturizer cream was. Crystal was sitting on a stool in living room, drinking her milk and watching TV. out of our expectation, she came to our bedroom, holding her bottle with one hand, and the other hand pointed at the shelf telling us,
"it is here. it is here."

not only i was surprised, also her daddy, grandpa and grandma. it's the joy that you would get when your toddler starts to talk more and more.

the other day, i was looking for her milk-bottle-straw, but couldn't find it. then i asked her, "Jing-jing where is your straw?". She was drinking milk with her bottle, there was another straw in it. She's pointing at the bottle and said, "it's in here." and this one surprised me 'coz i found out that she understood the word: in

two days ago, she wanted to change her shoes. she brought her red shoes to me, saying , "wear big red shoes." actually the shoes are a bit bigger, i often hide it, not let her wear it. but sometimes she just could find them. if i dont change for her, she will cry insistedly. so i change for her.

later on i went to balcony to put some laundry on the clothsline. she went following me bringing her pair of orange winter shoes and said, "dry for a while..dry for a while.."
i never taught her these words (to dry something in the sun). she must have heard either one of us saying it.

another day, her grandma told me that she tested Crystal by asking, "what's grandpa doing?" she answered, "grandpa's reading a newspaper." and as usual her grandma feels surprised!

usually if i play with Crystal and at the same time seeing her grandpa is reading a newspaper, i will tell Crystal what her grandpa is doing.

if you want your toddler to speak more, talk more to her/him. it enlarges her vocab. and you will feel surprised and also you will feel the joy!

First Aid for Choking and CPR (links, illustrated)

click below link for details
Infant First Aid for Choking and CPR

Infant First Aid for Choking and CPR (chinese version)

Toddler First-Aid for Choking and CPR

Heimlich Maneuver for Choking, Drowning, Asthma
More article links about safety for child

http://neilcalman.blogspot.com/2007/10/teaching-kids-how-to-save-lives.html

pesawatku

i was out for duty to Guangzhou on 22-23 April.
her father was playing aircraft with her ..
telling her that her mommy was on airplane, fly above the sky.
then the aircraft turned around, etc. etc.
after i came back, i found out that when she was playing an airplane toy,
she would raise the plane high with her hand,
and said, "ji..." (fei ji = aircraft) or said, "booo.... booo..."
very cute!
today, she saw the real airplane when we were playing at our balcony.